We are currently interviewing households for the Household Economic Survey (Savings) 2017/18.

The Household Economic Survey (HES) collects information on household income, savings, and expenditure, as well as demographic information on individuals and households. The survey asks for detail on where households get their money from – for example, wages and salaries, self-employment, investments, or benefits. In HES (Expenditure) years, purchases are recorded by households and include such things as fruit and vegetables, footwear, and cars, as well as spending on services such as electricity, telecommunications, and health. In HES (Savings) years, respondents are asked about what assets and liabilities their households have.

The three main objectives of HES (Expenditure) are: to contribute to the reweighting of the consumers price index (CPI); to supply expenditure statistics for use in estimating gross domestic product (GDP), and to provide an indication of the overall living standards of New Zealanders.

The primary objective of HES (Income) is to provide indicators on how personal and household income, housing costs, and living standards have changed over time. Information from HES (Income) is used to support policy development and decision-making by government agencies.

HES (Savings) data is used to estimate how much New Zealand households own and how much they owe. This survey provides information the government can use to develop ways to help New Zealand families.

Latest news

Revision note: Household Economic SurveyFor both the 2006/07 and 2009/10 HES years, some expenditure that should have been coded to alterations was instead coded to maintenance. This data has now been revised, with a resulting shift in expenditure away from maintenance and towards alterations/additions when compared with that published previously for these years.

Household spending compared with 40 years ago – infographic (published November 2013)
Statistical story in pictures, celebrating 40 years of HES, including changes in our spending on rent, food, clothing, and cigarettes and alcohol.

Information releases

Household Economic SurveyHES (Expenditure) is conducted every three years. The two other variants, HES (Income) and HES (Savings), are run in the two years between the HES (Expenditure) survey years.

Reports and articles

Sources of household net worth statistics (published August 2016)
The different sources of household net worth statistics, the differences and similarities between them, and the level of comparison customers can make between them.